Professor Layton and the Mysterious Amulet
by ObsessedwithBirds
Summary: Clive, recently released from jail, is kidnapped. Something similar happened to Emmy. Will Layton and Luke figure out who did this before they kidnap her, or worse? Will they find out who kidnapped Emmy and Clive? M just in case, for violence and such. Layton/Emmy (Lemmy).
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Dear Professor Layton,_

_It's I, Clive. I've been released from prison for good behaviour. I have been doing community service and I promise to stick to it until it's over. I kept that promise for over six years now. Remember, Professor, when I said I would atone for my crimes? Well, this how I will pay back._

_Sadly, this was cut short. I was kidnapped and beaten, left for dead until a brown-haired, yellow-jacketed woman saved me. I didn't catch her name, because they beat her up as well. _

_Professor… I should not even be writing this. If they found out I was talking to someone, they might kidnap me again. It is dangerous to walk the streets because of them!_

_I have no idea who these men are! Please listen to me…_

_Please rescue me…_

_Signed,_

_Clive_

_P.S. You can find me on Carnaby Street._

The blue-capped, dark-eyed man dropped the letter into the mailbox, carefully eyeing his surroundings. He wasn't careful enough, though…

He was grabbed and dragged away.


	2. Emily's Amulet

**A/N: There are spoilers for the third (Claire, Clive, and Dimitri) and fifth (Azran) games! Read at your own risk!**

* * *

Chapter 1

We were enjoying some tea when Emmy came bursting in. It startled Luke so badly that his tea went flying across the room. It just happened to land on my lap, burning my crotch. "Ow! Luke!" I narrowed my eyes.

"Sorry, Professor!" he apologised.

I looked at Emmy. Her shirt was partly missing, showing part of her chest. Her face was lifeless. She was covered in scratches head to toe. My immediate reaction was to cover Luke's eyes. "Luke, don't look!" I rushed over to him, covering up his eyes.

"Uh!" he gasped. "Why? I wasn't looking!"

"It's not right to look at a woman without a shirt on."

"They beat me up…" she said with almost no emotion in her voice. Her monotone voice scared me.

"Who beat you up?" I blinked.

"Emmy, you kick arse!"

"Watch your mouth, Luke," I warned.

"No, Professor, he's right… I should have been able to beat them up, but they were too strong for me… One of them had a sword, and of course, I know nothing of sword fighting…" I took my jacket off and handed it to her. She put it on.

"Luke… could you be a gentleman and please leave the room?" I asked.

"Yes, Professor." He nodded and walked off.

"Who attack you?" I probed.

"Some people that wanted my necklace…" She wrapped her hand around something that was on her neck, taking it off. I immediately gasped when I saw it. Descole! I bet Descole wanted it! "My mother gave it to me before she died." She looked at the ground. "I don't get why they want it… I've seen these for sale in shops before."

"Emmy."

"What?"

"Do you not know what this is?"

"No." She looked at me curiously. "What is it?"

"It's Azran, Emmy…I never thought I would see one for myself!"

"Randall!" Luke's voice said in the background. I sighed and chuckled slightly. I knew the whole time he was eavesdropping.

"Luke… I guess you can come out." Before he could walk towards us, there was a knock on the door. "Hmm?" I walked over towards the door. Opening it, I noticed that it was Rosa. "Hello Rosa," I greeted.

"Hello, Rosa!" Luke and Emmy greeted.

"You have some mail!" she stated happily.

"Oh, thank you Rosa." I smiled. "Would you like to have some tea?"

"Oh no thank you, Hershel… but I can't stay. I have some business to take care of." She looked at Emmy. "How come she has your jacket it on?"

"That's private, Rosa." I could sense a blush on Emmy's face.

"I see!" She winked. "I got to go. Goodbye, everyone! Nice seeing you!"

"Goodbye, ma'am!" Luke said cheerfully while waving.

"Goodbye, Rosa!" Emmy said. By then Rosa, had already started turning around. I shut the door and turned around. I opened the letter to see that there were blood splotches on it.

Luke shuddered slightly, stepping back. "P-professor… W-what is-is that?" he stuttered.

"It-it's a letter…" I replied grimly.

"It's covered in blood, Professor!" Emmy shrieked slightly.

I read it aloud. "_D… Prof… Lay…on,_

_It's… Clive… been released… behaviour… I have been doing… and I promise to stick to it… for over six years… atone for my crimes? …pay back._

_Sadly… I was kidnapped and beaten… yellow-jacketed wo… saved me… beat her up as well._

_Prof… I should not even… If they found out… they might kidnap… walk the streets…_

…_men are! Please…_

_Please rescue me…_

_Sig…_

_Clive_

_P.S… Carnaby Street._"

"I think I understood, Professor!"

I ogled Emmy. "Em-Emmy… is that why you look this way?" I asked.

"Yes… Professor. I tried to save him, but they got a hold of me as well." She stared at the ground. "So, his name is Clive…?"

"Yes. Clive is a man, or when I met him, he was a boy. A time machine in the apartment next to where he lived and exploded, killing both of his parents. He wanted to go back into the flat to save his parents, however; I stopped him and slapped some sense into him. He built a 'future London' underneath the real London. It was fairly convincing, but I knew all along that it wasn't real. Anyway, he hired Dimitri Allen, so that he could continue his research on the time machine…" I felt uneasy talking about what happened, because of Claire. "I'll talk about it more later." I gulped.

"Wow…" Emmy gasped, her jaw dropped.

"I know…" Luke nodded.

"Emmy… let's get you cleaned off. I should have some spare clothes in my room. You're free to my bath, if you want."

"I was just about to ask that, Professor," Emmy giggled slightly. "All right, then." She walked off.

"I guess I'll change clothes." I shrugged, remembering that I still had tea spilt on me.

After I changed my clothes, I made my way into the kitchen to pour some more tea. As I passed the bathroom, I couldn't hear any splashing. "Odd…" I shrugged and walked back to the living room. Luke was staring out the window, watching some people walking their dogs. "Hello, Luke."

"Oh. Hello Professor." He turned around and looked at me. I put my hand on my chin without thinking. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think Emmy's taking a bath, Luke. Maybe there's something wrong."

"Maybe so…" he pondered.

"She was severely beaten. I'm going to check on her."

"But Professor, you said gentlemen aren't supposed to go into a loo with a woman taking a bath! Unless they have to go really badly…"

"I know what I said Luke. But like I said before, I don't think she's actually bathing." He looked at me with his mouth agape. "Luke, if she's truly taking a bath, then I'll leave the room. All right?"

"All right, if you say so, Professor."

I walked up to the bathroom door, knocking on it. "Come in, Professor… it's not locked." I slowly opened the door, to see that her face and eyes were red. She must have been crying the whole time. She was only in her lingerie.

I blushed at this. I turned around. "Emmy, are you okay?" I asked.

"Professor…"

"I'm sorry Emmy, I can't help but to ask that… it's what gentlemen do. What's wrong, Emmy?"

"Professor… I-I'm wondering if they were after my amulet?"

"Could be," I pondered. "Emmy, could it have been any of our 'rivals'?"

"I didn't recognise them, Professor…"

"Hmm." _Amulet. Clive. Emmy. What do these have in common?_ "Emmy, are you not telling me something?"

"Hmph! Why would I do that?" she barked.

"Emily Altava. Please don't lie to me. I can see through your lies. You are not telling me something."

"Fine," she sighed. "Professor, I know Clive. We were friends, Professor. When I attempted to help him fight off those men, he didn't recognise me. Maybe it's because it's gone insane. Oh yes…"

"What?" I daren't turn around, although I was tempted to.

"He was… coughing up blood and puss. Professor, I think he was sick. I think that's why the letter is covered in blood."

"I see."

* * *

**Brief flashback**

**Approx. 16 years ago**

"How do you like your bath, Claire?" I asked her. She was covered in bubbles head-to-toe.

She giggled. "Love it, Hershel. Bubbles are nice."

"I'm glad you like it." I smiled.

"Why don't you join me?" she asked.

"What?" I was taken aback.

"Ha! Your face," she giggled some more. "I'm kidding, Hershel." She moved up a little bit, stealing my hat off my head.

* * *

**Present**

"Earth to Professor…"

"Oh? Huh?" I blinked to keep a tear from falling down my face. "What were you saying?"

"I was talking about Clive when he was young! Were you not listening? What's wrong?"

"Just thinking about someone I knew, Emmy." I tried my best to not sound sad. "Anyway, you should take a bath now. The water's getting cold." I took a step forward.

"You're right, Professor." I heard her get up and go into the water. "Go," she commanded.

"R-right." I nodded, trying not to think about Claire. I opened and closed the door quickly. I made my way to the living room, sitting down to watch TV.

Luke was sitting there, quietly. "What's wrong, Professor?" he asked.

"It-it's Claire… Luke. That's all."

"Oh, Professor… you're going to make me cry."

"I know you miss Flora, but she's doing something she loves. She said she would come as soon as she can. I miss her too, Luke." I was glad she chose Oxford. It was one of the best in the country. "She also told us that we can visit her in Oxford."

"That makes me feel better." He smiled.

"That's good. I have to go to work soon. Luke, you take care of Emmy for me, all right?"

"All right, Professor!" he agreed.

"Goodbye, Luke." I grabbed my coat and opened the door.

"Goodbye, Professor." He walked up to the door. I turned around and we both waved at each other.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah… I figured that he might still be sad from losing Claire. I know I would be too if something similar happened to me.**


	3. The Day She Changed My Life

**A/N: There's a make out scene in this… and if you think it's rushed, it's because they've been keeping it a secret for a long time.**

* * *

Chapter 2

I looked through my office, searching for some notes and researching too. It must have been at least 10:00 PM; judging that there isn't any light outside and the streetlamps are on. I rubbed my head. I had a headache for some strange reason. I couldn't help but yawn. I walked over to my couch, and immediately passed out.

I was half-asleep when there was a knock on the door. It startled me out of my sleep. "Come in," I said sleepily. The person opened the door and walked in. I noticed that it was Emmy. "Hello, Emmy." I yawned again. "What are exactly are you doing here?" I rubbed my eyes.

"Hi, Professor. I was just checking up on you. Luke and I are worried."

"Because I didn't come home?"

"Exactly." She smiled slightly.

I stretched. "Emmy, what time is it?" I asked.

"It's past midnight." She looked at her watch. The watch hands glowed.

"Do you know why watch hands glow, Emmy?" I asked. I was wondering if she knew this or not.

"Because of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, Professor. That was easy-peasy. Got anything harder than this?"

"There's a secret message on this letter Clive sent." I got up and walked over to my desk. She walked up next to me. "Shall we examine it together? I'm tired. I would like to go back to sleep."

"I'll stay up and try to solve it, Professor," Emmy offered.

"Emmy, no. I can't let you do that." I crossed my arms.

"Professor, I'm used to this. I studied hard at uni, why do you think I knew what tritium was?"

"Well, if you insist, Emmy…" I handed her the letter. It started to smell funny. "I don't want to keep this letter much longer."

"I see, I mean smell, what you mean." She sniffed the air. Her stomach growled. "Oh."

"Are you a vampire, Emmy?" I joked.

"Um… no Professor," she giggled slightly. "Sometimes weird things make me hungry." She flipped the letter over. "What rises but doesn't set… what's up but not down. What's this supposed to mean?"

"I haven't the foggiest, Emmy. You try it out while I sleep."

"Will do, Professor!"

"Please Emily… you've known me long enough. You can call me Hershel, but only in private, all right?"

"Got it!" she understood. I walked back over to the couch, closing my eyes. I felt something warm against my cheek. She must have kissed me. I feel asleep instantly after that.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of birdsong. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed Emmy sleeping, with her head resting on my desk and drool dripping from her mouth. "Emmy…" I shook her away.

"Wha? Huh? Oh… hello, Hershel."

"Emmy. I see you fell asleep at my desk. You must have worked hard."

"I did… and I think I finally figured it out. I spend all night listening to the radio… And I heard CCR's 'Up Around the Bend'. And the song mentions 'up' and 'rising'."

"Emmy… You are a genius. That's perfect." I grinned from ear-to-ear. "Does the song mention anything else?"

"It mentions a river. I'm going to assume the next clue is near the Thames."

"Well… let's go look, Emmy. Let's have breakfast first."

"Already made. I got hungry while I was investigating." She pointed to the box of donuts.

"Thanks, Emmy."

"Oh please, Hershel. You can call me Emily, just like you have the past two days."

I nodded, grabbing a chocolate-covered donut. "Thank you Emily, these are delicious."

"No need to thank me, Hershel. Would you like me to get some orange juice?"

"As long as you don't run into Delmona, I think you'll be all right."

"I guess you don't want me him to find out about _us?_"

"Puzzle solved, Emmy." I grabbed another donut.

"I'll be back," she said while she opened the door, winking. I ate the second donut quickly. By the time she came back with some orange juice, I had already started a third one.

"My my, Hershel… You look… stressed," she growled, narrowing her eyes. Did I just hear a growl?

"…Emmy. You know a gentleman never does such things in an office. Especially the fact that I'm eating right now."

"Hush," she purred, grabbing the donut in my hand and eating it herself. Obviously, she wasn't scared of germs.

"Emily…"

"Yes?" She looked at me with an innocent look on her face. She finished the donut, licking her fingers.

"That's… not lady-like," I groaned.

"Who the heck's watching?"

"Um… true." I wasn't sure how to respond. She did something I only though Claire would do. She sat on lap, grabbing my shirt. She kissed me. I wasn't sure what to do, really. I decided to kiss her as well. We broke off. "You're… really passionate, Emily."

"So are you… Hershel." She grabbed my shirt again, pulling me to the ground. We toppled over and landed with a loud bang. She seemed unfazed by falling onto the ground.

"Emmy… someone could have heard that."

"I doubt that." She winked. "There's no one in the halls, trust me."

"Wha…"

"It's Sunday, Hershel. Did you forget?"

"Oh… you're right. I guess I did forget," I chuckled nervously. "That means only the janitors should be here." She wrapped her hands around my head and pressed it against her lips.

"This is the best secret ever," she whispered.

"I know… I feel so… un-gentlemanly. Emmy, your methods may be unorthodox, but this feels right. Like we were made for each other."

"I feel naughty too." She winked, taking off my jacket. "Do something."

"Um… right." I felt my cheeks get hot. I decided to unbutton her shirt, exposing her chest to me. "Now do something to me." She growled and took my shirt off. I was about to touch her, when there was a knock on the door. "Damn," I hissed. "Hide behind the couch." She nodded, and quickly hid behind the couch.

I grabbed from weights off my desk, and pretended to be lifting them. I quickly put my shirt on, although it was askew. I opened the door. It was Rosa, of course. "Professor, you have some…" She stopped when she noticed my shirt was on backwards.

"Sorry Rosa, been exercising," I said nonchalantly.

"I know what you two are up to." She winked. "You two have fallen in love, and you're taking your relationship to the next step. I congratulate you, especially the fact that you lost your dear Claire."

"Um… thanks, Rosa," I uttered, flattered. I blushed slightly.

"It's all right. I won't tell Delmona. It's none of his business anyway. You have a letter. It's from Flora."

"Thanks, Rosa."

"I have to go now, you two have fun." She grinned, turning around and walking away. I shut the door and opened the letter. I sat down on the couch. Emmy sat next to me.

"_Dear Professor,_

_I'm in a bit of a bind. Well, you see, I cooked something disgusting._

_Now I'm sick… I'm afraid I'm going to die. Will I, Professor? I'm too sick to move._

_I'm writing this in the form of a letter because I think someone's watching me. They could easily tap into my phoneline. Please help. I'm scared. I've been too paranoid to do my work._

_Signed,_

_Flora._

_P.S. I've been seeing masked men around my dorm._"

"Flora's in trouble, Hershel."

"I figured…" I narrowed my eyes. "Put some clothes on. We're getting Luke and going straight to Oxford. The River can wait, for all I care." She buttoned her shirt and put her jacket on.

"Let's go, Professor."

* * *

"Luke...?" I called, looking for him around my house. "Where could he be?"

"He was studying for a big test when I left… I thought he'd be okay on his own. He can usually take care of himself."

"Next time, don't do that…" I hissed. "He might be kidnapped. Let's go and look for him…"

* * *

**A/N: TBC, of course.**


	4. Luke's Predicament

Chapter 3

"Let's split up… Maybe we can find him, Hershel."

"Right, Emmy. Let's do that." I nodded, agreeing. Emmy nodded and ran off, heading towards Horse Guards Road.

I decided to go down Bridge Street. I ran as fast as possible, racing past people. People stared at me funny, but I didn't care. I raced across the bridge and past the Eye, accidentally ignoring anyone asking me what I was doing.

That's when I found Chelmey. "Oi! Layton! Get your arse over here!" he demanded fervently.

"Hmm?" I looked at him puzzlingly. "What seems to be the problem?" I walked over to where he was standing.

The sight shocked me. "L-Luke…" His face was pale as the moon. One of his arms was bent out of shape, the bone sticking out. He appeared to be moaning 'ow' every two seconds. A frothy white substance appeared around his mouth.

"Son, you're so brave!" said a nurse. She was short in stature, with orange hair and dark blue eyes. She was wearing blue under her white nurse uniform. "I'm surprised you aren't crying so much!"

"Sorry for throwing up on your shoes, ma'am…" he moaned apologetically.

"It's fine hon. I'm used to it. Nurses have to be, or we wouldn't have any jobs."

"What happened?" I asked the nurse.

"He fell from a building about twenty feet off the ground. He's really lucky. Usually people are more seriously hurt from these kinds of falls. He's lucky he didn't break both of his arms."

"He _fell headfirst_?" I was suspicious of this, since he would have broken his head or his chest, depending on which way he landed.

"That I don't know." She looked at me curiously.

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment. _What could cause a compound fracture? _I thought. I heard footsteps coming. I turned around to see Emmy.

"What happened, H… Professor?" she asked, her mouth agape. I shook my head because I wasn't sure.

"Emmy… This nurse thinks he fell, but I don't think he did." I pointed to the compound fracture. "He would have busted his skull or broken his clavicle, breastbone or a few ribs, depending on he fell. He could have even decapitated himself."

Emmy took out her notebook and began scribbling something down. "Professor, this could be a gunshot wound."

"Emmy, don't be silly…" I sighed. "There would be more than one entrance. I don't think he fell from 20 feet. I think he fell from a much shorter distance than that."

"Professor, let's not rule out any possibilities. It could even be a sword or stick-like weapon."

"Maybe you're right." I looked down the road to see an ambulance coming. "Looks like the ambulance his here. Thank you, Nurse…"

"Camille, but most people call me Cam."

"I'm Professor Hershel Layton." I held out my hand. "Charmed." I smiled slightly as she shook my hand.

"Like the hat. It's really cool."

"Thank you, Cam."

"You're welcome! Would you like to ride in the ambulance with us?"

"Yes please." I nodded. "Can Emmy come too?"

"Of course she can. There's enough room. I'd prefer it if you stayed out of the way, though." She walked up to it. Another nurse appeared, helping her open the door. Very carefully, they put Luke onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Emmy and I got in and sat down next to Luke. He didn't look so good.

* * *

While Emmy and I were away, I directed Chelmey to stay next to him.

Emmy and I were sitting in a coffee shop together.

"What are you going to do about poor Luke? Imagine the medical bill," Emmy stated sadly.

"You're right. I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

"Hershel, you have a lot of cash."

"I do… but…"

"But what?"

I wasn't ready to pop the question. "My money is protected by a very complex puzzle. I've forgotten how to solve it. I haven't opened it in fifteen years."

"You're kidding, right? The Hershel forgetting how to solve a puzzle?" she started laughing hysterically until a tear fell from her face. Though I was a bit humiliated by this and by lying, I gave in and started laughing too. Some other people in the café stared at us. We stopped laughing and decided to leave.

I felt a weird sensation when we walked back to the hospital. It was as if someone were watching us.

Luke was fast asleep by the time we got back. Chemely, sadly, looked half-asleep too. He must have been exhausted, watching Luke for almost two days straight.

"Chelmey." I shook him on the shoulder. "You should go home."

"What? Huh? Oh. Goodbye, Layton." He sleepily walked out of the room. How was he supposed to get home? I sure hope Barton was nearby.

Emmy was sketching something in her notebook. "Hershel," she whispered. "I drew this." She pointed to the drawing. It was a picture of Luke's arm with a sword stabbing into it. It wasn't graphic or anything, but it bothered me slightly.

"That could be it." I looked at it closely. She sketched another drawing.

"See this may have been what happened…" She showed me the drawing. It was another drawing of Luke's arm, but his body was apparent in the drawing. It depicted him protecting himself from being stabbed.

I gulped slightly. "He was protecting himself…" She shut the notebook.

"Sorry, I know this is troublesome to you." She stifled a yawn.

"Here. Rest your head on my lap. I'll keep watch."

"Okay." She yawned, resting her head delicately on my legs. Her hair was so thick that I could barely feel anything.

_Now, don't move your head. _I daren't to yawn. I was tired, but I knew something would happen if I accidentally fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of Luke talking to Nurse Cam. I startled myself awake. "Huh?" I blinked. Emmy was gone from sleeping on my lap.

"I'll leave you two alone," Cam stated, walking away.

"Professor, you're awake!" Luke said happily. He looked much better than yesterday. "Did I really have surgery?"

"You did, Luke. You won't be able to take notes for a while, but I can certainly help with that."

"That's all right, Professor." He seemed happy, but I knew deep-down he was glum.

"Where'd Emmy go?" I asked.

"She went to get us some orange juice and cereal. She said she'd bring you something when you woke up."

"Did you already eat?"

"I had some oatmeal. It was tricky with one hand, so Emmy helped."

"Well, that was nice of her. I would look for her, but I don't want to leave you."

"What if I came along?" he asked.

"No. I'm not going to let you, Luke. You could hurt yourself again."

"Well… if you insist." His face was crestfallen. "We could ask the nurse. She said she needed some blood later…" He shuddered slightly.

"I'm sorry you're scared of needles, Luke. I'll try and be there when she does that."

"You really will, Professor?"

"Of course. Anything for my assistant."

I stepped to the door and leaned out into the hallway. I noticed Emily at the end of the hallway. She appeared to be carrying a cup of coffee and a mini box of cereal.

"Professor…"

"Yes?" I turned around.

"Emmy has been extra-nice to you. You have too. Is there something going on?"

I felt ashamed. "Well, Luke…"

"Professor! I got you some coffee and some cereal. Sorry, they didn't have any tea." Emmy walked into the room.

"It's fine Emmy. Thanks." I grabbed the cup and cereal. I looked at Emmy. She knew it was going to happen soon. I then looked Luke. "Listen, Luke…" I wasn't sure what to say. "Emmy and I are… in love."

"What?" he looked shocked. "But why? What about… Claire…?"

"I will always love Claire, Luke. My heart will always have that hole in it. But Emmy, she reminds me so much of her…"

"Professor, who is Claire anyway?"

"Emmy, don't be offended… but she was my girlfriend almost sixteen years ago." I hid my eyes with my hat. "I miss her, but the moment I saw you, Emmy…"

"W…what happened to her?"

"A time machine exploded, causing her death." I wasn't sure what to say. "It just goes to show that we should not mess with time or space. Or even memories, for that matter." I gritted my teeth. "It's why I wear my hat… it was the last thing she gave me before she died."

I didn't know how Emily would react, but she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me as tightly as possible. She started bawling. I wrapped my arms around her. "H-H…ershel…I'm sorry," she said in between her bawling. "I-I know…exactly how that…feels."

"There, there Emily." I couldn't help but shed a tear. "It's all right."

"Professor, you got me crying…" Luke sniffled.

"What's… wow," Cam said while stepping into the room. "We seem to be having a bit of a crisis. What's going on?"

"Professor's former girlfriend, Claire, who died." Luke looked at her.

"…Claire, you said?" she asked, shocked.

_Holy shit, no wonder she looks… familiar._

* * *

**A/N: So yeah… if you haven't figured it out, Camille is definitely related. You'll find out in the next chapter.**

**And now I have a predicament… I found myself crying too ;~;**


	5. The Second Riddle

**A/N: This is where the "M" rating comes in… you can skip that part if you want to.**

**Oh yeah, here are the ages for everyone:  
Layton: 43  
Emmy: 33  
Luke: 19  
Flora: 17  
Clive: 20  
Cam: 19**

**The last three are just a guess. :P**

* * *

Chapter

"Hmm…" I wasn't sure what to think. "_Claire and I did… have _relations," I thought."You wouldn't happen to be her… daughter, would you?"

"…Yes. Apparently, I am. I lived with her when I was about three. She disappeared. I didn't know what happened. I was adopted by a nice family." She looked down at the floor.

"What?" Luke said, surprised. "You have a child, Professor?"

"…I did not know that," I confessed. I felt ashamed. I wasn't sure how to react, really. Emmy was speechless. "Yes Emmy… Claire and I got to 'second base'." My face felt hot. "Emmy… I hope you forgive me."

"Oh Hershel, I don't know what to say, but I understand. I'm a little hurt, I'm all right."

"Look… I'm sorry, Emmy."

"It's all right, Hershel." Her frown turned into a smile. "You have a beautiful daughter."

"Wait a minute… I shouldn't exist! How could I have been born?" Cam asked.

"The time machine sent her ten years into the future. I don't know how long she was in the future… but I deduce that she was there for at least three years."

"Is this… why she disappeared and no one saw her again?"

"Indeed, Cam. I'm sorry that it happened." I turned around and looked at Luke. He appeared to be trembling. "Anyway, I assume you want his blood?"

"Yes. We want to check to make sure he doesn't have an infection." She took a needle from its package. Luke squinted his eyes.

"Let's help distract Luke, Emmy."

"All right, Hershel." She grinned. Cam stepped up him, lightly grabbing his arm.

"Hey Luke! Look over here!"

"Luke! Over here!" Emmy made funny faces.

Cam was done before we could say anything else. "See Luke? That wasn't so bad!" Cam said reassuringly. "You'll have to excuse me, I got to run this down to the lab. I'll be back later today."

"Wait, Cam!" Luke called. "Can I go downstairs to eat?"

"Well… let me check with your doctor. I'll be right back. Stay here." She smiled, turning around and leaving the room. Emmy and Luke were quiet while we were waiting for Cam. It didn't take very long for her to come back. She had a huge grin on her face.

"The doctor said that you can!"

"That's great!" Luke grinned.

She walked over to the machines he was hooked up to and unplugged them, except his IV drip. "Okay. Be carefully going downstairs! Take the elevator, all right?"

"I got it ma'am." Luke slunk out of bed without any help. At first, he was wobbling around, but he soon regained his balance. Cam smiled, moving out of the way.

"It's all right Luke, we'll help," I offered. He looked awkward with a cast on his arm.

* * *

Luke had a huge appetite. He had eaten so much that I almost threw up watching him eat. Of course, Emmy had to join in on the eat-fest. I eventually gave in and ate some fish and chips.

"…Luke, are you sure you're supposed to eat this much?" I stared at him. "…And you too Emmy. How do you guys eat so much?"

"I-I don't know, Professor," Luke giggled slightly.

"Because my grandfather taught me 'the more you eat, the more energy you'll have'!" she said after stuffing her face a huge piece of bread.

"Well… now that might be true." I shrugged.

-0000—

**A week later**

"Luke. You've been cleared to go," Cam said while walking into Luke's room. "I just need you to sign this." She handed him a paper. He did his best to sign it, despite being left-handed. "Come back in a month." She unplugged all of the machines and helped him get the needle out of his arm. He jumped out of bed happily.

"Professor, let's go look for the next clue!"

"Professor… I mean Dad; I've asked to get off. My boss will allow me to," Cam stated. "C-can I come?"

"Of course. That's fine with me," I agreed, nodding. "I think I know where the next clue is. It's near the Eye, I bet. It's the most famous location in London."

"Let's start there. If it's not there, then let's go to the Tower Bridge," Emmy suggested. I nodded.

All four of us walked out of the hospital. We walked down some streets until we reached the river. It looked like we were on the correct side of the Thames, which meant the Eye was on the same side. But were we north or south of it?

"Luke." I turned around and looked at him. "Are we north or south of the Eye?"

"We would be south, Professor, pointing to north."

"Good eye, Luke. Let's go this way." I started to walk north, when suddenly we were ambushed. It was a huge man, with huge muscles and long, tall legs. He had a huge smirk upon his face.

The person had a sword. I grabbed a broken pipe from the ground. I had been in a fight similar to this. The other man just chuckled, as if I was stupid. He tried to stab me, but I blocked his attack. We blocked each other's attacks several times, until I saw an opening. I wasn't going to resort to violence, but I poked him with the pipe hard. It barely dug into the huge man's skin.

"Hmph," the man humphed; his voice was as rough as gravel. He pulled the pipe out and tossed it aside, leaving me with nothing. "You're betta than I thought you'd be," he said with a Cockney accent.

I heard some horses coming. "Hop on!" said a mysterious stranger, although I believe I knew who it was. The man seemed somewhat scared of five horses running towards him. I helped Luke up to a paint horse. I jumped on afterwards, while Emmy jumped onto a black, Cam jumped onto a grey one.

The mysterious stranger was perched upon a palomino. I recognised the woman, but I was going to wait, until she took her dark pink hat off. "…Flora?" I asked.

"Yes, it's me, Professor."

"It's great seeing you, Flora!" Luke sounded happy to see her.

"Indeed! I wasn't expecting to see you!" Emmy agreed.

"Who is this, Professor?" Cam asked.

"Flora is my adopted daughter, Cam," I replied. Cam nodded. "Where are we going, Flora?" I asked.

"I know where the second clue is. It's near the Eye." She pointed towards the Eye, which was almost in full-view.

"Chelmey is going to kill us, since we're riding horses…"

"Luke, he's not going to kill us," I sighed. The Eye was finally in plain view. Luke neighed to the horses, which caused them to slow down. I hopped off the paint first, helping Luke down. The others hopped off. There, stuck to a light pole near it, was a note.

I let Luke have at it. "_I reach for the sky, I am old and gnarled, I have a shelter built around me, and I am as old as that shelter._"

"Hmm…" I mumbled.

"What could that be, Hershel?" Emmy asked.

"You want a hint?" I joked.

"I got it! It's a tree!" Cam had an 'ah-hah!' moment.

"I think Cam's right, I think it is a tree," Luke agreed. "But what's this shelter it's talking about?"

I put my hand on my head, thinking hard for a moment. I tried to picture all of the great trees around London, until one of them finally hit me. "Fulham Palace, the 'shelter' it's talking about. It's not a literal shelter, it's figurative, it's talking about the courtyard built around it. Why, I used to picnic there when I had the chance. Let's go."

"Impressive!" Cam said in awe.

"It was nothing, really. I just deduced what it was from the riddle. The Fulham Palace oak is as old as the Palace built around it, hence 'I am as old as that shelter'. The tree is over 500 years old."

"Now that's an old tree!" Flora blinked.

"Indeed. Let's go there tomorrow. I need to catch up on some work." I sighed. Luckily, I wasn't too far from my office. "Emmy will show you the way to my house. I'll be there just as soon as I can."

* * *

I stared at the _Captorhinus aguti _on my desk. The fossil was from North America, but I wasn't sure where. It sometimes helped me to think of new ideas.

I stifled a yawn. I was about to fall asleep when there was a knock on the door. I somehow knew this was going to happen. "Come in, Emmy." She opened the door and walked in.

"Late night again, huh?" she asked.

"Yes… I've been gone for too long. I can't keep up the shenanigans. What about the kids?"

"It's all right; Barton and Chelmey are watching them for right now. They said I could come and check on you. So… Would you like some 'stress relief'?"

I blushed slightly. "Yes. Of course. That would be great." I watched her take off her yellow jacket. She tossed it aside, showing off her curves. I took my coat off and threw it over my chair. She grabbed me and pulled me to the couch.

"Do whatever you'd like to me," she purred. I wasn't sure what to do, really. I decided to touch her sides. "Is that the best you got?" she asked. I gulped. My father taught me never to touch a woman, unless you're truly in love… and I am.

I decided to unbutton her shirt. I took it off and tossed it aside. "Yes… yes. That's it, Hershel," she growled playfully. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in, our lips locked and we began kissing. Her tongue touched mine. I was surprised by this. I didn't care, though. She broke off. She grabbed my shirt and took it off. I decided to touch her… breasts.

"Yes… that's it," she purred. I wasn't sure whether to go to second base or not.

"_Yes, do it,_" said voice in my head.

"_No, don't do it, what if something happens?_" another voice said.

I decided to do it, just for the hell of it. I didn't care if anyone found out, it was no one of the business anyway.

"Take my clothes off," I told her.

"You can take mine off," she growled. I slowly took her clothes off and tossed them aside. She took my hat off my head, tossing it behind her. "Nice hat hair." She moved onto the rest of my clothes, exposing myself.

I wasn't sure how to react seeing myself naked, or her for that matter. She was… so beautiful.

* * *

**Third person's POV**

Meanwhile, Rosa was about to go home when she heard the two lovebirds. "Well, I'll be. It sounds like Layton finally found some love after Claire died," she said, smirking to herself. "Good for you, Layton." She decided to leave the two alone.

* * *

**Layton's POV**

"Oh… Emmy…" I panted. "I don't know what to… say." I tried to catch my breath. "I'm tired Emmy… shall we go to bed now?"

"Yeah…" She sounded out of breath.

"I happen to have some pyjamas in this box." I sat up and walked over to the box. "Here, just slip this on." I handed her some of the jammies. She walked to the other side of the room and put them on.

"Hey, these are soft. Thanks for letting my borrow them."

"Not a problem." I grinned. I put them on too. I walked over to the couch and lied down. "You can lie down on top of me." She blushed slightly. "It's all right."

"Goodnight… Hershel," she said sleepily.

"'Night, Emily." I closed my eyes and we both fell asleep…

* * *

I woke up and noticed Emmy was still on top of me. "Emmy, get off… Emmy." I shook her but nothing happened. "Emmy, I have to go to the bathroom, get off." I tried to shake her again. She was completely knocked out. I groaned. There wasn't much I could do. I pushed her off, in the direction of the couch.

I got up and left the room, forgetting I had my hat and any clothes on. I was exhausted – mentally and physically.

"Late night, hmm Professor?" Rosa appeared out of nowhere.

"Mm-hmm. Excuse me, Rosa." I walked past her.

By the time I got back, Emmy was still asleep. "That girl, she just never wakes up. I bet if I brought some food, she'd wake up." I decided to put some clothes on. I finally noticed that my hat was missing. "Oh, that's right! She threw it across the room." I looked around the room. I finally noticed that it landed on a bookshelf. I reached up and grabbed it, putting it back on my head.

I turned my attention back to the beautiful Emily lying down on my couch. She was… adorable with the pink pyjamas. I decided to let her sleep. I must have exhausted her myself. I was getting aroused looking at her. I turned around, blushing. "I guess I'll go lecture a class now… been so long since I've done so. I'm sure Delmona's been wondering where I am." My stomach rumbled. "First, food, and then lecturing," I said to myself.

I loved doing lectures. People didn't have to spend much money on them. Even secondary-school aged children could come and learn, too. I really didn't care who came, as long as they wanted to learn.

I walked into the room. There were several people there, all chatting about something random. I didn't catch anything of what they said, but I didn't care. However, they seemed to have quieted down when I walked up to the dry erase board.

"Today, we're going to be talking about the United States presidents. Does anyone know who the first president is?" I asked. Someone raised their hand. "Yes, you."

"George Washington," the girl replied. She was an adorable kid too, with her long hair, green eyes and nice smile.

"Yes, very well." I nodded.

I lectured them about the different presidents, and their contributions. I was almost to Ford when the bell rang. The kids hurried their way out, as if they didn't find this class interesting. I sighed to myself. No one loved history anymore, it seemed to be a dying breed. Nowadays, kids were more interested in technology and science.

I decided to leave, walking past Delmona. I saw him looking at me. Shoot, he spotted me. "Hello, Professor, long day?" he asked. It looked as if he didn't know. That's good.

"Yes… late night studying too," I replied. At least that was partially true.

"Get some sleep, Hershel," he said.

"Well, I guess I could…" I pondered. _Except Emmy's still asleep on my couch…_

"Have a nice rest, Hershel."

"All right. It's nice seeing you, Delmona." I tipped my hat. I walked back to my office. I quietly opened my door. I noticed that Emmy was still asleep on my couch.

"Did I put you in a coma, Emmy?" I chuckled slightly. I wasn't one to joke, but I had to crack that joke. "Or is there something wrong with you?" I questioned. I walked over to her, turning her over.

There, in her back, was a dart.

_Someone must have snuck in while we were sleeping, and just maybe, they wanted to drug me, but I was in the way… _

It was too late… I felt a pinprick….

* * *

I felt paralysed from the head down. _What's going on? _A familiar face appeared… Descole.

"We have them! We have the Azran amulet too! Oh, this will open the gate to the Palace of the Gods!"

"Hey look boss," said the gravely voiced man. "Mr. Top Hat is awake." He pointed at me.

"Hello… Hershel." He smirked. "How do you like being frozen from the head down? Hmm?" he sneered. "Before long, you will need diapers or maybe someone to take care of you," he condescended me.

_I've been through worse than this… I'll definitely get out. _Even though I could barely move my head, I could see that there was a puzzle. I saw a pattern.

_Vjurpcj yu nqjupij. _It was a cryptogram. How I loved solving cryptograms. "Descole… if I solve that puzzle in less than thirty seconds, will you release me?"

"Maybe." He walked up to me, grabbing my head. "You hurt me. Why should I release you, hmm?"

"Hurt you… but how?" I wondered.

"You fell in love… with Emmy." Despite having a mask on, I knew that his eyes were showing sadness. "I shouldn't give into trivial matters! Layton, you have thirty seconds to complete the puzzle."

_The J is obviously an E, the U is an S. Seeing how Descole is a bit of a narcissist, I bet the word is 'awesome', _I thought. "'Descole is awesome'," I replied. "I knew that cryptogram would mention your name, from that, I concluded that you are a narcissist, so I knew from there you would call yourself 'awesome'. You see, the J is an E, and the U is an S."

"Very well, Layton. Solve this one." He went over to the puzzle, pushing another button. A new cryptogram appeared. _Kealc-mxzdhxjz wlxjzk anh t gtj_. "You have forty seconds to solve this one."

_Let's see… _I thought. _What's a thirteen-letter word I know that starts with an S? Ah-hah! Sword-fighting! The next word ends with an S, obviously. The second-to-last word is a G, brings, maybe? Anh looks similar to man, and the T is obviously an A, because I can interpret that from 'anh'. _"Sword-fighting brings out a man."

"Excellent. Here's the last one." He pushed a button again. An even longer cryptogram appeared. _P xsrg shjsfi htrgk Gddf. _"You have ninety seconds to complete this puzzle."

_Let's see… The P is obviously an I… wait, I think I got it. _"'I have always loved Emmy'."

"LAYTON! How did you know!" he snapped. I withdrew a sword, placing it right near my jugular. "If you don't tell me how you did that in ten seconds, I'll cut your head off."

"I have always known you loved Emmy, Descole. I knew it the moment after I met you." I gulped. It was hard to breathe with a sword next to my throat.

"I out to chop your penis off! Maybe then you won't have sex with her!"

"H-how…?"

"I know the walk of shame when I see it!"

"You were Delmona?"

"No, but I pretended to be Rosa!" he laughed maniacally. "You know she stays after dark sometimes…"

"You… heard us?"

"Yes. And I felt rage after so." His face turned red. He moved the sword away from my head and moved it towards my crotch. He swung the sword as high as possible.

_Oh great… I'm going to have my jewels cut off…_

That's when something strange happened. He collapsed on the ground, holding his chest. Was he… having a heart attack, or acid reflux?

"Hi-ya!" Emmy appeared suddenly, kicking his head. He was knocked out cold.

"Thank you, Emmy… You saved my… genitals."

"Not a problem, Hershel!" She grinned. She walked over to me, untying the paralysing ropes from me, freeing me. "Come on, let's get out of here. He could wake up any time soon."

"Right… thanks." I grinned slightly. "How did you escape?"

"I wasn't fully paralysed when the drugged me."

It was hard to get up. I was shaky. "Whoa. They must have really drugged me." I rubbed my head. "My hat's gone…"

"It's over there." She pointed. "Here, I'll help you."

I nodded a 'thanks'. She smiled and nodded.

I can see why Descole loved her…

She was so beautiful…

* * *

**A/N: Emmy's a zombie?! Nope, but we'll find out why in the next chapter. **


	6. The Strange Room

Chapter 5

We travelled around the compound for a while until we came upon a puzzle. It was another riddle with a cryptogram: _Entslcdi_. A pile of letters appeared in a box near the door.

"I'll take care of this Hershel!" Emmy stated. "Let's see… _When the Sun and Moon align, this shadowy figure appears in the sky._"

"You want a hint?"

"A penumbra, Hershel?" she asked. "Because it was eclipse, the first letter wouldn't be an E as well."

"I think maybe you're right." I picked up some of the letters and pushed them in. Emmy picked up the rest and pushed them in. The door started to swing open. "Great job, Emmy," I said happily.

"Thanks, Hershel." The door opened to another room. It seemed to be some sort of control room.

"You're welcome, Emmy." I stared at the room. "Shall we go in?"

"I don't see why not." She shrugged. We both nodded and walked into the room. The room was small, with many control panels with buttons of many different colours. There were several screens in the room, all with different videos on each of the screens. This must be how he monitored our every move.

"That's odd… Hershel." She pointed at the conveniently placed fridge in the middle of the room.

"That… is odd. He must have wanted to keep a very close watch."

"Mmm!" a muffled voice said.

"What was that?" she asked.

"It sounded like a voice to me. Let's look around the room." I started looking around the room. There appeared to be no places to hide a person, except for… the fridge. "…In the fridge?" I looked at Emmy. She shrugged. I kneeled down to eye level. There appeared to be a puzzle. There was a note on the door of the fridge.

"_I am the most prominent figure in the northern sky. I have a well-known asterism inside of me. Who am I?_" I read it aloud.

"I'll take care of this." She grinned. She moved the dials of the puzzle around. "Ursa Major," she stated. "It's the most prominent constellation." The door unlocked, swinging open. A person fell out of the fridge. It shocked us both.

That person was Clive. The ropes were bound around him tightly. He had tape around his mouth. I had no time to describe him; he needed to be untied ASAP. Emmy and I grabbed the ropes and untied him quickly. I grabbed the tape and carefully pulled it off his face.

"Ugh…," he simply responded. He looked awful. His face was wan, and his eyes were red. "Professor? Yellow-jacket?"

"Clive… it's me, Emmy. Emily Altava. Don't you remember me?" she asked.

"E-Emmy…? I-I didn't recognise you…" He started coughing. "I need my antibiotics soon. I've been without them for three days. I'm scared I'll die." He coughed again, sending blood splattering all over his hands. "I have really bad pneumonia."

"Did Descole capture you?" I asked.

"Yes. He wanted to extort me, but I wasn't going to fall into that trap." He chuckled slightly, smirking. "I too, an 'evil' genius and I know the consequences of extortion." He coughed again. "Please get me back to my home."

"Right. Emmy, let's find a way out of here." I started looking around the room. "Clive, do you know of a way out of here?" I looked at him.

"Before being stuffed in that fridge, I remember him exiting through that door over there. I think there's a puzzle on the door. I do believe I know the answer." He weakly got up and walked over to the said door. We walked over with him and watched him closely. He began to spin the dial. The word was 'tern'. Why he would choose a bird, who knows?

The door swung open, exposing us to the outside elements. We were high off the ground, by least hundred feet. "We're in one of Descole's machines. We need a find a way to get down!" He pointed to the earth below us. Wind whipped past us. The machine appeared to be moving, something we didn't realise before. "And yes, the machine _is _moving."

"Do you know where it's going, Clive?" I asked.

"It's heading towards a new Azran location that none of us ever knew about. It's the Lost City of Atlantis. This machine is going to submerge soon."

"You've got to be kidding me, Clive!" Emmy said shockingly.

"Atla…Atlantis, you said?" I blinked.

"And I thought that was only in stories, Hershel…"

Clive's ghastly face turned slightly green. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Calm yourself, Clive." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's starting to submerge…," he noted.

"Do you get seasick, Clive?" I asked.

"Sort of, Professor…" he replied. "Let's shut the door." He walked over to the door. I helped him push it that it would close properly. He collapsed on the floor. He coughed again, even more blood spraying from his mouth and covering his hand. "I need medicine soon…."

"Yes. We'll try to figure out how to get out of here. Do you know how Descole controlled this thing?"

"Sadly, I don't, Professor. I bet you can solve it." He coughed again. He was too weak to move. I searched around the room but didn't see any buttons. They must be hidden amongst something.

"Emmy…"

"Yes?" she answered.

"Try putting your hand in there. Yours are smaller than my hands." I pointed to a hole that was in the middle of the room. She nodded, placing her hand inside the hole.

"I think it's a puzzle…" She immediately gasped.

A voice started talking on intercom, "very well, Emmy. I see you have figured out my puzzle. You will have five minutes to solve it."

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

I couldn't figure it out, since I couldn't see the puzzle. "Emmy, do your best."

"I think I've figured it out. I have to put my fingers in a certain spot." She gritted her teeth. Although I couldn't see her hand, I could certainly see her arm moving. Her face was tense as she concentrated on the puzzle. Suddenly, something moved in the middle of the room.

The voice spoke over an intercom again, "congrats. You have solved the puzzle. The prize is medicine for the ailed Clive." A bottle of medicine appeared in the middle of the room. Emmy was about to get her hand out of the hole, but something weird happened. She gasped in horror as she took her hand out.

It was covered in blood…


End file.
